


A Variety of Lessons, From One Knight-Captain Dartmouth

by ghostchibi



Series: Lyons Live AU [4]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Bigender Character, Blow Jobs, Disabled Character, F/M, First Time, Gender Identity, M/M, Other, Romantic/Sexual Orientation, Trans Female Character, aka Arthur has sex questions and his best friend is entirely willing to answer them, this also isn't strictly about sex it's mostly a relationship study with sex as a backdropo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-08-18 18:34:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8171687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostchibi/pseuds/ghostchibi
Summary: Malika, or Malik, Dartmouth is one of Arthur Maxson's closest friends. She's kind, understanding, and tough as nails. He can drop a super mutant at fifty yards, grapple a reaver without a scratch, and charm his way past hostile wastelanders. Arthur couldn't ask for a better best friend, especially not with the effort she puts in to make sure he's happy.Which is why he's come to her for this awkward talk.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Nyello I have at least three other stories I need to be working on but this idea wouldn't leave me alone.
> 
> For anyone unfamiliar with the AU this fic takes place in, Malik/a is bigender!!!! She/her and he/him are both pronouns Malik/a uses and the fic will switch between using Malika/she/her and Malik/he/him to refer to Malik/a.

"Hey, you've got that wide-eyed stare going on. You okay?"

Arthur blinks as Malika flops down onto the mattress to his left to give him space. A few loose dreads bounce onto her face in the movement as she keeps her keen eyes on Arthur's face.

"I'm alright," he replies after a pause. "I'm just-"

"Overwhelmed?"

"A little confused."

"Right. Need a break?"

"No. I promise I'm okay, it's just a lot of... things I don't know."

"That's what I'm here for right now," Malika replies, and Arthur has to mentally backtrack to remember exactly how he got to right now.

If he was to go all the back to the beginning, it would start with Malika. Knight Malika Dartmouth, also known as Malik, all around perfect human being. Definitely one of the brightest in the Brotherhood. She (and he, Arthur reminds himself, because Malika is also Malik for a reason, and uses both rather than switch between the two as others might perceive it) also happens to be one of the most charismatic soldiers the Brotherhood has ever had, drawing an interesting mix of admirers and enemies because of it. An extraordinary combination of intellect and influence for sure. And despite all the opportunities for her to have more or less created her own circle of followers and advance herself in the Brotherhood, Malika had instead chosen to take on the role of the guardian of the last Maxson with far more enthusiasm and effort than had ever been expected of her.

Long story short, Malika Dartmouth is the brilliant, smooth-talking personal guard of Arthur Maxson who has taken her duty of "guard" rather seriously in areas beyond that of making sure that Arthur stays alive.

She had immediately attempted to make friends with Arthur once she was introduced as his guard. Arthur didn't want a guard; he'd had enough of being followed around as a child by various people. He was eighteen, old enough to be making his own decisions as far as he and his rank were concerned. And so Arthur had promptly turned to Sarah and told her that he didn't need a guard any more than she did before stomping off.

Malik, as established, took his job as his guard very seriously, and immediately took off after Arthur.

Arthur found Malika impossible to shake, no matter how much he attempted to lose her through outrunning, outsmarting, or outtalking. She always managed to chase him down no matter how fast he ran from her, she always managed to figure out where he was hiding no matter how cleverly he hid, and she never let any of Arthur's various excuses and reasoning convince her. And so Arthur gave up, accepted that this Knight was going to be breathing down his neck for the rest of his life, and tried to adjust as best as he could.

As it turned out, Malik was a very easy person to adjust to. Guards, as far as Arthur understood, weren't really supposed to be anything other than a physical barrier between yourself and danger. But Malik served as far more than that, although he was indeed a very effective barrier. He would pointedly ask Arthur about himself, how he was feeling, what he thought of this or that, if he wanted to go to Rivet City with him when they had down time. It took some time, but Arthur eventually realized that Malik was being entirely honest about all of this; he did actually want to know. And from there, Arthur had been able to accept the friendly affection that Malik was so eager to give. Wary humoring gave way to trust, and soon enough Arthur had found himself a best friend.

(Arthur would ardently deny to Sarah's face that Malika was his friend. She didn't believe him for a moment.)

The thing about best friends is that they can be people to talk to about almost anything. Up to and including embarrassing things. Malika was very clearly open to talking about almost anything, given her insistence that Arthur not hide anything from her she needed to know out of fear or embarrassment. Arthur had other people he trusted, but this wasn't quite a matter he was comfortable bringing up with them.

"Like I said, I won't do anything you don't want me to," Malika reminds him, reaching up to brush away a few errant hairs from his face. "If you want to stop right now, that's fine."

"I don't want to stop," Arthur replies, and he immediately feels like a petulant child rather than an adult soldier. To prove his point, he tugs Malik on top of himself so that his friend is braced on top of him with both hands on either side of his head.

"And I told you I wasn't going to box you in like this." Malik immediately sits back up, swinging one leg back over so that his weight is off of Arthur. "If you want to keep going, come here."

Arthur doesn't have much of a choice other than to sit upright again, so he pushes his upper body into a sitting position for Malik to move closer. He does, one leg now dangling off the side of Arthur's bed to make enough space to perch next to Arthur. One hand comes up to rest on Arthur's shoulder, an invitation for him to initiate.

"You still want that kiss?" Malika asks. Arthur nods, but she doesn't move, so Arthur lets out a soft huff and leans forward instead.

Apparently that's what she's waiting for, because Malika meets him halfway; her lips part as they meet his, and Arthur is suddenly very conscious of how much he doesn't know what he's doing. But Malika is leading him, and he copies her motions with growing confidence.

It's actually a rather short few seconds, but it feels like several minutes by the time he thinks to pull back for air. His face burns hot, and he sees the warmth in Malika's dark cheeks as well. She grins at Arthur, apparently satisfied with his reaction.

"A good first kiss?" she asks him.

"Couldn't ask for better," he answers, and he really couldn't. "And before you ask, I do want to keep going. I know you're going to ask me again."

"I want to be sure," Malika sighs. "You can never be too sure about this kind of thing, okay? I'm serious. I keep asking because I need to know you're okay with _everything_ I'm doing."

"What about you, then? You told me you were perfectly fine with doing whatever and said I didn't need to worry about you. So how about you, huh?"

"You learn fast, don't you?"

Malik gives Arthur an affectionate pat on the cheek.

"Rule number one of sex: you make sure everything you do is okay with whoever you're having sex with," she tells him. "And my answer is still yes, I'm good with what's going on. I'm not going to do anything I don't want to, and you can be sure I'll let you know if it's not okay with me. But you gotta do the same too, okay? I'm gonna keep asking, but if something's not okay, you tell me and I'll stop."

"I know."

"Good. So, what do you want me to do?"

Arthur ponders for a moment, and finds that he's at a complete loss. It doesn't really help that he has no idea what to ask for next.

"...I guess the kissing was good?"

Malik smiles and leans forward to plant a quick peck on Arthur's mouth that quickly turns back into a proper kiss. Arthur wants to pull Malik down on top of him, but Malik had been rather insistent about not doing that for Arthur's sake. Which is kind of why Arthur wants to do it, to prove that he's willing and perfectly happy to have Malik on top of him, but his friend had shown a distinct discomfort with the whole thing. Arthur isn't sure if it's solely for his own sake then, but he doesn't question it. Instead, he finds one of Malik's hands and presses it against the hem of his own shirt, hoping Malik gets the hint.

"You want me to take your shirt off?" he asks, and Arthur responds with a quick "yes!" that's out before Malik has even finished his sentence. His shirt comes off quickly and gets draped over the metal footboard, and a warm hand splays against Arthur's chest. There's a mumbled question about whether Arthur wants Malik to keep touching him, and Arthur answers by scooting closer to Malik.

One hand wanders across Arthur's chest, down to his belly where it rests for a moment, and then to his side to settle on his waist. The other squeezes his chest appreciatively, and Arthur has to suppress the groan that bubbles in his throat.

"Make noise if you want to," Malika says, watchful as ever. "It's just us. Nobody else will hear."

One of her thumbs brushes against a nipple, and Arthur lets out a soft "mmh" in response. Her mouth kisses the corner of his, moving away from his lips as she starts to press kisses against the stubble growing on his cheeks and then downward toward his neck.

"Can I keep going?"

"Please."


	2. Chapter 2

"So, there's a lot of stuff I can show you. Anything in particular you want to know about?"

"It's hard to know what I want to know about if I don't know they exist," Arthur points out, and Malik lets out a huff of laughter against Arthur's neck.

"That's true. Want to specify where you're okay with me touching, then?"

"Um."

"'Nowhere else' is a perfectly good answer too."

"I just don't know."

"Y'know, I don't believe that you don't have _something_ you're curious about," Malika says, mouthing gently to keep from leaving marks on Arthur's skin. Arthur turns his head away, his face burning in arousal and embarrassment.

"Well..."

"Do I need to tell you an embarrassing secret of mine?"

Arthur sighs. That had been a tactic of Malik's in the earlier days of their arrangement as guard and guarded; in an effort to get Arthur to open up about the things that he was embarrassed or scared about, Malik would tell Arthur an embarrassing secret or unknown fear of his own. The intended purpose was for Arthur to understand that Malik wouldn't judge Arthur, just like how Arthur wouldn't judge Malik, although most of the time in the beginning Arthur just ended up learning a lot of interesting things about Malik. He once burnt a large part of his hand with a hot pan, which was the source of the scar on his palm. He doesn't like hanging upside-down. He has a huge crush on one of the other knights. He's afraid of stepping into an unseen hole while in power armor.

"...I kind of want to know what a blowjob is like?"

"I can absolutely show you what a blowjob is like," Malika replies, leaning back with a grin. "But that means pants and underwear off. Or at least around your knees, although it'll be easier if they're all the way off."

"Off it is, then," Arthur says. He feels a little bit ridiculous talking to Malika like this; his perception of sex is a bit skewed, admittedly, but it doesn't really include all of this talking and it feels weird that he's saying so much. He unzips his fatigue pants and leans back on his hands, lifting his hips so that Malika can pull them and his underwear down. He ends up kicking them off, squirming and flailing his legs a bit to get the clinging material off while Malika laughs and attempts to help.

He's completely naked now. Malika is still fully clothed, sitting between his legs, and Arthur shivers.

"Cold?" Malik asks, and Arthur shakes his head.

"Nervous. Kind of giddy," he explains, and ducks his head a little in embarrassment.

"Understandable. Is it okay if I touch you?"

"God, yes."

Malik's hand wraps around his half-hard length, and Arthur's eyes immediately close; there's something very different about having someone else touching him, despite him doing this to himself several times before. It feels good, even better as Malik watches his reaction and changes his movements. Arthur opens his eyes again when he feels Malik let go, and blinks as he meets Malik's gaze.

"Still doing okay?"

"Yeah."

"Want me to-"

"Malika," Arthur huffs, and gives her a bit of a pout. "I want to know what a blowjob is like."

"Gotcha," she replies, and licks a stripe up Arthur's cock before wrapping her lips around the head.

 _Good lord_. Arthur groans and his hands immediate turn to fists in the sheets, trying to keep himself still. Malik's mouth is warm and wet and- and moving down slowly, taking more of Arthur's cock, before pulling back. Malik's eyes are trained on Arthur's, and that definitely makes Arthur feel a flush of arousal for a reason he can't explain. But he has to close his eyes once Malik starts to move faster, his thighs starting to shake from the effort of trying to keep his hips still against Malik's hands. He wonders briefly if Malik enjoys this, if this is as enjoyable for the person giving as it is for the one receiving. That line of thought regarding sex will have to be considered another time though, because the tongue pressed against the underside of his cock swirls around its head and Arthur can't devote that much mental power into anything else right now.

"Oh my god," he breathes, moving one hand behind himself to make sure he stays upright. Malik's thumbs rub little circles into his hips.

It feels so good. He can feel the beginning of an ache in his neck with the way his head is hanging down but that sensation is fully shoved to the back of his mind. His arm is starting to get sorer too from the tension in it more so than usual, but that's a duller, less obvious pain. Malika's mouth slides lower and Arthur feels the tip of his cock bump against something, something? Arthur is about to open his mouth to ask but his question gets garbled into a gasp and shaky exhale. Malika pulls back and lowers her head again, this time taking even more of Arthur's cock, and that sudden tightness around the tip presses down around his cock further.

It feels _amazing_.

He knows he's supposed to warn her, but Arthur doesn't have a chance to. He groans and his head falls back as he tries not to buck up, his hips shaking as he orgasms. Malika's fingers dig into his skin a little and there's a brief shudder that Arthur can feel through her hands against his hips.

Arthur shivers as Malik's tongue drags against his cock when he pulls off. The room feels a lot warmer, now.

"That wasn't just a normal blowjob," is the first thing Arthur says once he's caught his breath, and Malik bursts into laughter.

"What, am I that good?" he asks between attempts at muffling his mirth. "Okay, so maybe not everyone will or wants to deepthroat someone they're going down on, but-"

"That was incredible," Arthur blurts out, face all red. "And um. Sorry-"

"I thought that might happen if I tried that, don't worry. Feels pretty good, though?"

"You- it was- at the end that-"

"It felt good at the end because I was swallowing?"

Arthur's face manages to turn an even brighter shade of red, and instead of answering his voice makes a high-pitched squeak-ish noise.

"How do you say it so casually?!" he manages to sputter out.

"Is that what happened?"

"Yes, but- augh, Malika!"

"What?! You liked it, right?"

Arthur covers his face with both hands, sighing deeply. Malika laughs and pulls his hands away gently.

"It's okay! Why are you embarrassed?" she asks.

"How do you say things like that so casually?"

"What, the sw-"

"Yes that!"

"It's just sex. It's not embarrassing if I'm telling someone I'm having sex with."

A sort of "hhhhhrh!" noise of exasperation and embarrassment leaves Arthur's throat before he flops backwards onto the bed.

"Seriously, telling me what I did that you liked isn't going to weird me out," Malik replies, scooting up so that he can lie down next to Arthur. "I know it probably feels embarrassing right now, but like, y'know. Making you feel that good was kind of the point. If you want to say it, you can say it."

"Okay, alright, sure. Yeah, that- that felt good. Really good."

"Good to hear."

"Not going to ask me for specifics?"

"You said what you wanted to tell me, whatever you were comfortable with saying out loud. You'd tell me specifics if you wanted to, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, so good. Hang on, where the fuck did that towel I left on the floor go-"

Malika blindly thrusts one arm off the edge of the bed to grope around for said towel, eyes darting in random directions. Eventually she finds it and tosses it at Arthur.

"There ya go," she says, and Arthur raises an eyebrow at her.

"Are we really done? You've got- uh," - his eyes dart down to Malik's groin and then back up at his face - "kind of got a thing. To, um."

"I mean, I guess if you want to, although I was under the impression I was showing you what different stuff feels like."

"Isn't that part of 'what different stuff feels like' too though?"

"Don't be smarter than me. Like I said, stuff you wanna do, there's no giant pressing need for you to have anything to do with me getting off if you don't want to."

"Um. I guess."

Malik leans up on one arm.

"Do you want to keep going today? We can find some other time too, not that I could ever hope to shove every single thing about sex into one sitting anyway."

"I guess? Not that you can exactly show me anything else right now. Gotta wait."

"Arthur, oh my god," Malika replies, shaking her head. "You underestimate me. But yeah, okay, waiting is good."


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur lets out a short huff, blinking a few times. That was enjoyable, but he realizes that this is all incredibly new to him and every single thing is far more than he thought. It's not exactly... too much, but more than he thought. Like biting into a mutfruit and discovering that it's far riper and sweeter than expected, Arthur finds himself a little bit surprised. He lets his head fall back onto the pillow with a soft "whumph."

"You okay?" Malika asks, brushing some of the stray hairs out of Arthur's face.

"I think it's catching up with me a little," Arthur admits, turning his head to look at Malika. "I didn't think I'd feel like this. But I'm okay."

"Sex in general is pretty intense, even if you do 'little' things. Nonsexual stuff is just as important with sex, honestly."

Malik lays back down next to Arthur, and he curls up against Malik's side. An arm wraps around his shoulders.

"I see why people enjoy it. I mean, casually, not just with someone they're in love with," Arthur says. "That was pretty great."

"I wouldn't make a habit of propositioning me too much," Malik warns. "I'm not sure how happy you-know-who would be with you fucking your bodyguard."

Arthur snorts at Malik's vulgar wording and rolls his eyes. "That's why we're not telling anyone."

"They'd find out if it happened too much. I mean, hell, I take this seriously, but they'd find it inappropriate."

"'Fucking the guy I'm guarding is serious work.' I see where that sounds less than professional."

Malika laughs at that, eyes squeezing shut in mirth. They stay closed when she stops, her arm still around Arthur's shoulders as he lays flush against her side.

"Can I get another kiss?" Arthur asks, and Malika obliges; she leans in to meet him halfway and rests her free hand on his cheek, and Arthur's chest flutters. It's honestly nice, he doesn't know how else to describe this, but there's nothing strange about kissing Malika even when he knows it's a want for something generally reserved for people in love. He's not in love with Malika, and his heart isn't doing the kind of flips in his chest he normally associates with crushes. It beats a little faster and feeds the growing blush spreading across his face.

Malik flicks the tip of his tongue over Arthur's lips in a playful gesture, before resuming their kiss. Malik is so nice, for so many definitions of the word, and Arthur can't help but let out a soft noise of disappointment when they separate. But then his chest tightens, and Arthur fights to keep his mood aloft; literally in the span of a few moments, he can feel his thoughts racing off in a direction he doesn't like. So instead of talking, Arthur pulls himself closer into Malik's side until he can gather his words properly.

"Can I ask a weird question?" Arthur asks.

It's not related to sex at all, and Arthur can tell that Malika realizes that. Her shoulders go a little tense for a moment before she turns her head toward him, and her hand slides down to rest on the shaved side of his head.

"What's up?"

He's not sure how to word the phrase. Instead, he stalls by squirming a bit, then detangling himself from Malik's loose hold and sitting up.

"Sometimes I wish I couldn't see everything so clearly," Arthur sighs. "It ruins everything. I wish I was ten again and I didn't know why everyone hated me."

Malik's hand rests at the small of his back. There's a tension in Malik's body, one that shows itself when Malik's face drops into blankness in front of others.

"Would it really be better to not know?" he asks softly.

"I know that everyone hates me, and I have to deal with the unfairness of their reasons," Arthur replies. "How's that better than just not knowing at all?"

"Because you know that you don't deserve it. Because you know that they're wrong."

"Doesn't make it hurt any less."

Malika shifts and sits up properly so that she can pull Arthur close again.

"Hey. Arthur, I don't think you'd want to be back there again."

"How do you know?"

"I don't, but I know you didn't have anyone there for you when you needed it and that hurt you more than you can express in words, which is why you're being needlessly cryptic with me right now."

"Shut up, Malik."

The vitriol doesn't deter him in the slightest. Malik's arms stay wrapped around Arthur's midsection regardless.

"I kinda wish that deathclaw had aimed a bit higher," Arthur says, then laughs; it's an empty laugh, more of a reaction out of not knowing what else to do.

"I don't."

"Of course you don't. You wouldn't have a nice position."

"I'd never have met you properly."

The silence stretches for an absurdly long time; Arthur doesn't say anything in response and Malika doesn't say anything to get an answer out of Arthur. The longer it goes, the more Arthur regrets saying anything at all.

"Can we pretend like I didn't say any of that?"

"That's not healthy."

"Neither is surviving off of ten gallons of someone else's blood."

" _Arthur_."

Jesus, he really regrets saying that. Partially because he knows it's due to the disgustingly excessive amount of blood transfusions that he was able to come of everything fine. For certain definitions of fine.

Malik doesn't ask where this sudden outburst came from. He knows better, in the sense that he knows it's always barely contained under Arthur's skin. This is honestly not the time or place to be blowing up in angry self-pity, but it's not as if the appropriate time and place ever shows itself.

"Do you want to be alone?" Malika asks.

"No. I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about," she replies. "You got overwhelmed."

Arthur lets her pull him back into lying on the mattress. She rolls onto her side and drapes an arm across Arthur's chest. He opens his mouth to ask her for something, but immediately Malika gives him a look.

"No."

"I haven't-"

"You were going to ask me to distract you," she says firmly, and Arthur is almost embarrassed by how easily she's read his thoughts. "Now is not a good time for that."

"You said-"

"I said I would show you, and if I thought you needed to slow down I wouldn't keep going. This is one of those 'you need to slow down' moments. Really more of a 'you need to stop' moment actually."

"Malika-"

"Arthur, just listen to me. There's nothing all that fun or great with sex when someone's in tears because they're actually upset. Generally it makes things worse, especially since you're new to this kind of intimacy in the first place. Trust me, you won't feel any better because I kissed you or one of us put our dick in the other person. I'm being completely serious. And now you're laughing."

Arthur clamps one hand over his mouth to avoid making it obvious that he's fighting down a giggle fit thanks to Malika's choice of words, but he supposes it's better than getting mad.

"I'm not going to distract you, but I'll gladly hold you for as long as you need."

Malik is far nicer than he should be, Arthur thinks. But he doesn't voice that thought because it'll just upset Malik. Malik pulls Arthur close again and Arthur lets himself curl against Malik's chest, content with feeling his own heart calm itself down until he can't hear his pulse in his ears anymore.


End file.
